Temperant Dungeon (3)

Clack

"Ah… there's no way you're weaker than the boss," I lightly smirked before widening my stance and staring at the skeleton, probably just as tall as me.

It held a large wooden staff in one hand, and a black robe wrapping around its wide ribcage, with the hood draped over its boney head.

[HP: 23/25 MP: 14/25 SP: --/--]

"Oh man… being a monster is amazing. My mana is already regenerated that much within a few minutes…."

My eyes shifted back over to the monster who confronted me, spreading the skeletons around me in a perimeter that prevented me from escaping.

It started off with its first attack, a flurry of flaming blue balls of fire that ripped through the air and singed the very ends of my long black hair.

To beat a mage, I must close the distance…

Quickly, I dashed toward the mage, but it quickly retaliated with a massive burst of flames that erupted from below me, nearly blowing me away.

If I didn't have such great reflexes, my body would've turned to ash already.

"*sigh*... okay… I thought as much,"

FWOOSH… SHING

I dashed forward, using every ounce of my strength and pouring it into the soles of my feet, allowing me to close the distance within just a few seconds.

Surprisingly, the mage was able to block my first knife that came for its head, but the other one stabbed directly into its spine, making it convulse for just a second… but I knew my limits and took a step back.

And now that I revealed my biggest weakness, my defense which was obvious from the quick step back instead of going for the kill, I had to be extra careful.

Crack… Crack… Crack…

Its hollow eyes shifted into a glare as the embers of blue flames that were about to turn me to ash slowly disappeared from the skeleton's hands.

It was too obvious… for such a powerful feeling monster, its moves were too obvious and easily readable… but that only meant I had to be more careful.

Being able to muster a fear skill this powerful means it must have something else in store for me.

All of a sudden, the skeleton began to twirl its staff in front of it, so I took a few quick steps back and allowed the skeleton to finish conjuring its fan of blue flames.

They spread out through the air, but the further back I was, the fewer chances I had of being hit by them.

FWOOSH… FWOOSH… FWOOSH… FWOOSH… FWOOSH…

As soon as they finished blowing past me, I closed the distance once again and avoided the singular ball of flames that attempted to blind me.

I trusted in my instincts and dodged to the side, just narrowly avoiding a pillar of blue flames that threatened to burn my tough leather magical armor.

My breath escaped from my mouth as I dropped my knife and let it stick to the ground, leaving me with my fist that was quickly coated in a concentration of [Empower] and [Haste].

FWOOSH… BOOM

Its entire skull shattered, but the instincts that I trusted so much caused me to rapidly take a few steps back, furthering the distance between me and the skeleton whose black robes slowly began to expand.

Its eyes lit up with a dim blue fire, and the ground under me exploded with blue flames, leaving the only place to perch being a gravestone just nearby.

The ends of my shoes were singed by the fire, but that was better than having both of my legs burning to ashes.

"Huff… huff… huff… huff…."

The oxygen around me was beginning to get burned up, leaving me heaving and huffing for more air to breathe.

But, the only thing that I was able to absorb into my lungs was the black smoke slowly rising from the raging blue flames.

I gritted my teeth upon seeing the skeleton slowly rise into the air, the space of its bones being filled with the same beautiful and ethereal blue flame.

I was almost jealous of the power that these wisps generated as they twirled around me- no, they danced around me like I was at a concert watching a performance by the best ballerina in the city.

"*sigh*... What's the point of [Undead Influence] if it barely lets me control the undead around me," I muttered to myself before seeing my mana slowly begin to rise once again.

For a second, I thought of retreating, but at the sight of the sea of flames spreading all the way back to the entrance, I let that thought go.

Slowly, my breath began to calm down, and my eyes went cold as I planned my next route.

I gripped the singular dagger in my hand before concentrating my strength on the soles of my feet again, allowing me to burst upwards and explode toward the skeleton floating in mid-air.

It looked down on its work, proud of what it had achieved, but as soon as it saw me, the thing visibly frowned.

That hollow mouth, now raging with blue flames, tilted downwards as its flaming eyes landed on me.

CRACK

I sliced off one of the arms at the cost of nearly burning my own arm.

The explosion of blue flames that erupted from the skeleton's hands sent me flying across the cavern, and I only stopped as soon as my feet hit a tombstone.

My flesh began to burn and melt away, only for me to come to the sudden realization that,

"Oh… my fucking god… I'm so dumb," I chuckled as my flesh melted away, revealing my boney structure that wasn't even phased by the raging blue flames.

Seeing me unaffected by its proud magic, it slowly floated to the ground, and just as it landed, I felt a strange sensation flow through my body.

[You've been backed into a corner]

[Stolen Souls shall be sacrificed as mana]

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

[HP: 25/25 MP: 200/25 SP: --/--]

My mana had surpassed its cap, and now, I knew I wouldn't be defeated.